DICOM data migration for PACS transition: procedure and pitfalls

Transition from one Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) to the other is costly and disruptive. Especially the migration of the DICOM data from the legacy to the new PACS is a very challenging task, and although such a migration will happen in every hospital, literature on methodologies to follow and possible problems and pitfalls is scarce. The objective of this work is to provide insight in the prerequisites for the legacy PACS before starting the migration with respect to vendor and DICOM considerations.

The steps involved in migration, possible methodologies, and areas of specific interest when planning migration are given. Possible challenges and problems are defined as well as issues that are often overlooked.

A step-wise approach should be implemented for data migration. Careful planning and testing, continuous observation of the process, and involvement of all stakeholders including the old and new vendors are crucial for a successful transition from one PACS to the other.

A proper test migration is a crucial step in the PACS transition process, which can eliminate many of the problems in the actual migration. However, with any migration, there has to be a willingness to take a limited amount of risk since not all problems can nor will be identified in the test migration.